By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 17: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Thursday said that a concerted global effort to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 comes to fruition soon, in view of the worsening distress on health and livelihood of people around the world.
The octogenarian Tibetan leader who was wishing the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday wrote, “This has been an exceptionally tough year for peoples and nations across the world due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. It is my earnest hope that the international community working together will be able to contain its spread before long and that suitable vaccines will be developed soon.”
“In addition to threats to their health — mental as well as physical — people all over the world are confronted by a loss of livelihood, while the education of their children has been interrupted. These circumstances have brought about anxiety and a deep sense of unease, especially among many ordinary people,” he further wrote.
The Buddhist leader said that the overwhelming challenges for the affected people must be confronted by being realistic on the ground as well as being compassionate to people around. “People frequently ask me how to cope with the array of challenges before them. I suggest looking at each problem from different angles in a realistic way. I am convinced that in uncertain times like these, the age-old Indian practice of non-violent conduct— ‘ahimsa’, backed by a compassionate motivation — ‘karuna’, expressed as a warm-hearted concern for others, is not only relevant, but also necessary if we are to move forward in a calm and collected way.”
The Dalai Lama said that the government on both state and central level of India where he has sought refuge for more than six decades are doing their best and that he wishes to express our deep gratitude to the government and people of India for the warm and considerate hospitality.
The Tibetan leader earlier in March donated to the PM cares fund for relief operations related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
